[hondafriek]

I just wanted to let everyone know of my experiences with Flip Helmets over the past few years .
I have been buying helmets with over 25 yrs , just to put this into perspective for everyone, I am no novice .
After listening to all the experts and reading a s..t load of reviews and opinions , I took the plunge.
I purchased a Nolan N102 3 yrs ago after seeing one for the first time in Italy .Bought it from a Dealer in California through Fleabay for about half the price ,delivered .(pays to shop around)
It was an instant success with me , as I am a little claustrophobic , and very much like the idea of opening up the helmet to speak with someone or just to get some fresh air .
The Nolan has an extra visor fitted outside the normal visor ,this is tinted and quite handy for those sudden but it has to said extremely rare bursts of sun .It can be a bit noisy though .The chin bar can be lifted out of the way with little effort , but can create a bit of drag when riding at high speed (not recommended)
Over all its a good helmet , a bit noisy , but fine with Ear Plugs for longer journeys .
After 3 yrs its showing its age , so I did my research and opted for the Shark Evoline in June , it has a great Sharp Crash Rating , all seemed well , all the reviews were great , 5yr warranty - what could go wrong , and the helmet was getting great attention .BUT . I rode for 3 weeks in the dry - no problem .The first morning of rain , after 5kms i had water inside the visor , I was seeing double !! After taking it back to the dealer - there was a short discussion and a credit was received .I spent another week trying to decide what to replace it with ?? I eventually opted for the Shoei Multitec , have it now for 3 days , and all seems well , its noticably quieter without plugs , its lighted by a few hundred grammes .Ok its more expensive by over €100 , the chin bar does not fall behind the shell like the Shark, it sticks out on top,and it does not have the integral SunVisor - a bit of a shame .The Pin Lock Visor is superb with absolutely no misting at all in rain and heat .
Overall its looking good , its your typical Shoei quality , supplied with a Whisper Strip and a Tinted Visor FOC.
I will update in a few weeks again , and I am sure at that stage I will have more that one or two rides in the wet .

This post has been edited by hondafriek: 05 September 2009 - 10:35 PM

[jay46]

had to get myself a flip years back as i was a courier, was tired of lifting the helmet off going into every office etc. dead handy. would i have one for my bike today.. not a chance, but it was good for the despatch work...

[Andromeda]

Bought the Shoei Multitec a few weeks back too. Was seriously looking at going for a full face but just felt much more comfortable with a flip. love the pin lock and it's really quiet too. All in all a great helmet IMHO

[STefan]

great write up

i did the same about 4 weeks ago was riding 15 years only full faced helmets i got a bit annoyed whit my Arai as the helmet was mad noisy well i always played with the thought of a flip helmet but the fact that they are usually produce more noise then a full faced i never really went for it

now the fact that i got me a new bike and i liked the thought of opening the helmet in city traffic made especially when you sit behind a big screen made me look a bit closer at them so i went thru a few tests and reports and narrowed my list to 2 the Shoei or Schuberth now my very first helmet was a Schuberth and i do remembered i liked the way they fit i knew the Schuberth is quoted with a very high prize 460 pound in HG well its all a question of how much do you think you head is worth

all i can say the helmet is worth every cent its by far the quietest helmet i ever had the weight is amazing i thought flip helmets are heavier then full faced but not this one even tho it has all the mechanics in it its very light
it has an integrated sun visor which does a great job the flip mechanism works perfect they seem to have spend a lot of effort in noise reduction there is a little curtain around the chin piece which makes the helmet close completely around your neck sadly this curtain is the only negative on this helmet its fixed a bit flumbsy but on the other side does the job

it comes with a clear visor which is anti fog and anti scratch plus a clip in anti fog inlay as the Arai`s have the C3 has 2 vents on on top with 3 positions to keep the head cool oh they even put a winter flap in the helmet for this vent
the 2nd vent is in the front to keep a constant air flow on the visior which works well too
now for the fit ... its a nice fitting helmet with loads of space for big ears not that i have the inner liner can be removed and washed

now thats all i can say so far

[Darkcloud]

Nice write up indeed



Dont buy a Caberg though

[gipi]

I second what Stefan says about the Schuberth C3.

I bought the C3 myself last year at the NEC bike show - £360 including an Oxford padded carrybag. It was more expensive than the C2, but the C2 didn't fit me properly.

I find it a very comfortable helmet, don't need earplugs unless on a long run, the pinlock is great and the air vents that Stefan mentioned in the top are very useful without being annoying (i.e. air without draughts). The integrated sun visor which is as good as top quality sunglasses for eye protection/visibility.

I tried on the Shoei multitec and the Nolan (103 I think), and they just weren't right for me.

Oh DC......My first helmet was a Caberg.....!